Dasvand
Ottawa (August 28, 2025): The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is raising concerns following the announcement that Canada and India have appointed new high commissioners as part of a diplomatic reset. Canada has appointed Christopher Cooter, a veteran diplomat with 35 years of service, as its new High Commissioner to India, while India has named Dinesh K. Patnaik as its envoy to Canada.
WSO is calling on the Government of Canada to provide clear assurances that newly appointed Indian diplomats will not have intelligence or police backgrounds, will not engage in espionage or criminal activity in Canada, and will be held accountable to Canadian law.
Today’s announcement comes less than a year after Canada expelled the Indian High Commissioner and five other diplomats in October 2024. According to the RCMP, those diplomats were linked to criminal activity and transnational repression, including harassment, extortion, and violence conducted by agents of the Government of India working with criminal proxies. The RCMP has specifically pointed to links between Indian officials and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a violent transnational network behind shootings, murders, arsons, and widespread extortion across Canada.
Canada is experiencing an unprecedented surge in Bishnoi-linked violence, creating a climate of fear across B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. The Mayors of Surrey and Brampton, the Premiers of British Columbia and Alberta, and the Conservative Party of Canada have publicly called for the Bishnoi gang to be designated as a terrorist organization. Such a listing would empower Canadian authorities to freeze assets, disrupt financing, and pursue terrorism-related charges.
WSO President Danish Singh said:
“A reset in diplomatic relations must not mean amnesia. Less than a year ago, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, over links to criminal activity and ties to the Bishnoi gang. Restoring consular services matters, but safety matters more. We need clear assurances that India’s diplomats will not be drawn from police or intelligence services, will not engage in criminal activity or transnational repression, and will fully cooperate with Canadian authorities to end the Bishnoi gang’s rampage. Canada must also require India to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the murder of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other Sikhs in Canada. New Indian diplomats should not be accepted without these guarantees.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada is a non-profit national organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights of all individuals.